Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1887-09-28
v0x P0PULI vox DEL,

II 10 conceded on al sides that . street
railway connecting the villages surrounding
Butte City proper with the city will be o
immediate. and permG1snt advantage t.
The city. The cheapnGss 81 transportation
encourages trsvel. and when eheapness il
combined with comfort and speed, then
tbe travel il the greatest. It 10 also . con
esdsd fact that the street upon which there
10 most travel 10 the best street for bust
1sss. Wherever people 'eonsrsgste they
will buy whether they came or'that pur.
pose or not.
II. then. the street railway encourages
travel and IL the travel OF any particular
street will be increased BY the construction
Of . street railway uponit, to that extent
viii IL improve the street and advance the
value Of property. unless those who were
customers prior to the advance OF the rail-
way should bs prevented by the steam
motive power from frequenting such street.
This might happen to some extent il the
city were the centre OF an agricultural
county and the customers were principally
farmers bringing their produce and ex-
changing the same for snperchandiss upon
the street. and then only in ease the street
was narrow and the motive power noisy.
In streets such % We sse here in Butte
aad in . city like Butte, where compare
lively few OF tie men who are ranchers
eone TO trade, there 10 not the least proba-
biity Of six customers being deferred from
visiting the street upon which the railway
may be built by reason OF tho motive
power used. A busy street 10 noisy BE-
cause IL IL busy, and business men are not
osthetes.
Thsn. - . business proposition. the
street will be improved by the advent Of q
street railway using the improved steam
locomotive power, and, a. q business prop
o~sition, the mon who propose to connect
Butte City with the outlying points named,
By mean OF such railway. should not be
hanpered in their efforts by adverse legis.
lation or legislation which has the appear.
anes Of being illiberal and hostile. The
price, Of two such engines a. the projectors
Of these lines Of railway propose to use in
propsllinR their cars, delivered ut Butte,
viii b in round nambers 50, O0O, and for
the City Council to say. i've will not give
you permission to use sch locomotive
power upon the street for longer than three
months" has, to say the least, thsappear.
anee Of hoetile legislation, and that the
Oty Council would rather disparags than
encourage tho enterprise.
Now $4,000 10 not . large sum .oi money
10 b invested in . permanent enterprise,
but It 10 . largo sum to b. invested in An
enterprise Of three months duration, and
such IN Investment does not look like q
business proposition, and few OF tho mem
bsrs Of the Council would choose such an
for themselves. Why then
should tho Council expect W. Bennett, a. |
:. Larabie ct 81. to make the investment
10 II fair to them? IL the Council fair to It.
DsNS IN making such q demand7
II 10 sometimes too late to do wwelI. At
othsr times . man may reconsider his &C.
Mons and do upon sober second thought
Ind reflection what he wa unwilling to do
bpon . moments notice. Our City Council
has shown itself to be conservative, and
|or the public good it feared to grant a
privilege which it could not afterwards re-
Yoke. The members OF the Council OF course
acting not for themselves, but for
|hsir constituents. Vox populi is to them,
hen Vox Del. and il the men who arc to be
ldseted BY this enterprise say to the Coun.
d lot the enterprise 60 on, then in all
to itself. to it's constituents and to
Ne promoters Of the enterprise, the Council
'Aouh SAY, the enterprise shall 20 on.